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Data from: Varying flower longevity as a strategy to pollen limitation: Implications for plant reproductive resilience under climate warming

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Jun 23, 2026 version files 828.03 KB

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Abstract

Phenological shifts induced by climate warming may occur with similar sensitivities in both plants and pollinators, potentially maintaining or even improving their temporal match. In contrast, if their sensitivities differ, climate warming may either facilitate novel plant–pollinator interactions or disrupt existing interactions through reduced pollinator availability, potentially increasing the time a flower needs to get pollinated. Although plasticity in flower longevity may buffer these effects by extending the time window for pollination, prolonged flowering may also be associated with reduced reproductive success. Here, we experimentally tested whether plastic flower longevity in a self-incompatible bee-pollinated Corydalis ambigua mitigates the effects of warming and delayed pollination on plant reproduction. Using dome-shaped warming chambers and controlled pollination treatments (immediate, five-day delayed, and no pollination), we quantified changes in flower longevity and seed production. Pollination induced rapid flower wilting, with successful pollination reducing flower longevity and pollination exclusion extending it substantially. Experimental warming further reduced flower longevity by 8% compared with the ambient control. In contrast, seed production declined by 22% under delayed pollination but was not affected by warming. These results reveal that plasticity in flower longevity allows plants to partially compensate for delayed pollination by extending the window for pollen receipt. However, delayed pollination was also associated with reduced subsequent seed development, suggesting additional costs. Our findings highlight a previously underappreciated reproductive cost of pollination delay and suggest that plasticity in flower longevity may enhance plant resilience to declining pollinator availability under climate warming, albeit with potential reductions in seed production.